Anova sued a number of different Chinese businesses for trademark and trade dress infringement related to its Sous Vide Precision Cooker, a constant temperature immersion circulator that cooks food in a sealed bag at a constant temperature in a water bath.

Anova designed its product in 2014 using funds generated via a Kickstarter campaign. Anova registered the mark PRECISION, and asserts that the distinctive design of the product constitutes highly distinctive trade dress. The product enjoyed considerable success, leading to Anova being purchased by Electrolux for $250 million in February of this year. Anova asserts that the defendants make nearly-identical replicas and sell them through internet websites such as GlobalSources.com and Alibaba.com, as well as through U.S. distributors. In addition to infringement, Anova asserts claims for trademark dilution, unfair competition, and false designation of origin.

About this blog…

The D. Mass. IP Litigation Blog will monitor the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, with a special interest on patent, trademark, trade secret, antitrust, and copyright litigation. Since the Supreme Court’s TC Heartland decision, we have seen an increase in intellectual property filings in D. Mass. due to the high concentration of technology and life sciences companies in the Commonwealth and because of the Court’s ability to handle complex, accelerated matters. We plan on providing our readers with timely insights on recent cases.